Hand in Hand: Vol 1
by Stefan422
Summary: When The Virtua Fighter and Eternal Champions universes suddenly merge, Pai Chan is forced to adapt to the changes that accompany this convergence. But will she develop feelings for a certain rebellious Russian along the way? Of course not, that's ridiculous. . .right? (Crossover with Eternal Champions. Rating may change. Takes place five weeks after VF5: Final Showdown.)
1. Chapter 1

Issue 01: Coalescence Of Worlds - Part 1

 **(Pai's time: 1995)  
**  
" _That was great everyone!_ "

Came the extremely proud cry of the director of the film that Pai Chan had starred in. She took on the character of a skilled young lady trained in Mizongquan, who'd been looking for her master-turned criminal overlord all over the world for a fight to the death. In this particular scene she had been forced to use her combat skills when approached by a group of said overlord's men while walking down the street. The lead movie star helped all of her downed co-stars to their feet as a crew member tossed them all water bottles. Pai greedily sucked the tasteless and refreshingly cold liquid down her throat. As she finished the water, Pai thought. Life was good. The movie she'd been working on was going wonderfully, not to mention her fanbase was growing rapidly, letters from her millions of millions of fans across not merely China anymore, but as of this year, all of _Asia_ still coming in her mailbox what seemed to be daily. An easy smile graced Pai's beautiful features. Everything just seemed to be going perfect for once.

The young movie star started on her way across the set to the changing rooms inside, as she was still in her costume for the movie, a red tank top, ripped, and faded jeans, and a pair of scuffed red Converse sneakers. In a way, she was looking forward to getting out of it. She didn't mind wearing such clothes, and the ruggedness of the outfit was corespondent to the movie's character she was playing, but she just naturally favored the things that came out of _her_ closet—as in things _not_ falling in with the whole 'worn' look. Nothing wrong with something that was fashionable in its own right, it just wasn't her style of dress.

The set had been conveniently placed outside the studio, so she would not have much walking to do. As she entered the doorway, she chuckled. Everything looked somewhat busy on certain spots of the large room, with people discussing details of the movie and such, while other spots looked calm and empty. Pai took the quickest route through the room as she could to get to the changing rooms. Before she could reach her destination however, she heard a voice ring out.

" _ **Oh my God! I don't believe it! Tzar Nicholas II is in Hong Kong!**_ "

Pai froze upon hearing that. Her head instantly snapped toward where the voice came from, which turned out to be in a far corner of the room where an enormous TV monitor was mounted on a wall. It displayed the news, and turned up loud enough that the everyone inside could hear. Her ears quickly tuned in to the newswoman's voice as she jogged over to the crowd of people that formed under the TV.

" _We have breaking news-the deceased Russian emperor none other than Tsar Nicholas II is somehow back from the dead. He was seen walking down the streets of Hong Kong when a bystander saw the emperor and made a scene concerning the sighting, gaining the attention of our news crew. Our reporters are now trying to determine how the phenomenon occurred from the horse's mouth, at this time."  
_  
Much to her utter shock and surprise, it was indeed Nicholas II. The last emperor of Russia, before he was shot. Alive and well on the 9pm news. He was speaking Russian franticly at the reporters who were eagerly talking, shoving their mics and aiming their cameras at him. No. No way. This couldn't be real. This had to all be some kind of publicity stunt. But who would do something like that? Impersonating a historical figure in such a way could be considered morally incorrect. . .and there was something else about 'Nicholas' that caught Pai's attention. He was looking in every which direction at the people that surrounded him. He seemed terribly confused as to what was going on. Almost as if he'd never seen a news microphone or a professional video camera before. Pai's eyes widened and she gasped slightly. Maybe this was the real Nicholas. . .but how? He was supposed to be long deceased, and yet here he was on live TV. Having no idea what to think next, the young movie star decided to consult Sarah, one of her closest friends. She just needed to talk to someone after making such a discovery. Sarah was currently studying at San Francisco State University, meaning that she was 12 hours ahead of Pai due to the 12 hour difference between America and China, so Sarah would most likely be lounging around in her dorm, waiting for her classes to start up at 10:00am. While Opening up the 'Contacts' list on her phone and scrolling through her many numbers with haste, she walked at a brisk pace away from the crowd of shellshocked people to a neglected corner of the studio. When she finally found the contact titled 'Sarah B.', Pai hit the green phone icon on the phone. As it rang, she paced anxiously, awaiting the sound of the blonde's voice.

" _Hey Pai._ " Sarah greeted with a smile in her voice.

"Hey Sarah.", the Chinese movie star greeted back, relieved to hear the voice of such a good friend at a time like this. "I'm so glad you're available right now. I have to tell you something, but you won't believe me."

" _Well, what is it?_ "

"You know Tzar Nicholas II?"

" _The Russian emperor that died, what, forever ago? Yeah. Why?_ "

"He's alive."

Sarah was able to audibly pin down most of her laugh at Pai's statement, instead letting a tiny chuckle escape through the speaker. " _Actually, that_ _is_ _a little hard to believe, Pai_."

"I know it is. But it's true! He was on the news just now. They say someone just saw him walking down the street, and made a ruckus about it. Soon after, the news crew showed up, and started practically flinging themselves and their mics at him, trying to get a story out of him."

" _Oh yeah? What'd he say?_ " The ex-assassin inquired, still not convinced.

"I couldn't understand a thing of what he was saying.. He was speaking Russian. But he seemed pretty overwhelmed by all the people and technology being thrust at him." Pai replied, wishing she could have been her usual good mood to chuckle. "Sarah, please, I know you think I'm losing it, but I can prove it. Just give me a minute, and I'll take a picture of the TV and send it to you. They're replaying the footage over and over so I should still be able to get it on camera."

" _You do that, and I just might believe you on this whole thing._ " The blonde stated, willing to keep up her end of the deal if Pai kept hers. She still thought it was absolutely ridiculous, but if Pai could get visual evidence that Nicholas II was in Hong Kong, she was willing to consider it.

"Thanks. I'll need just a sec." And with that Pai ended the call, intending to resume it very soon. She weaved her way through the crowd that formed near the massive TV, and opened her 'Camera' app on her BlackBerry phone. It wasn't supposed to come out for a number of years, but BlackBerry Limited felt so inclined as to give the Virtua Fighters an early taste of their technology that would sweep the nation. Being one of the world's greatest fighters had its perks, and the company had obviously been impressed with what they'd seen of the Fifth World Fighting Tournament—even if they were unaware of its true intentions. She aimed the lens at the TV and took several extremely clear pictures, and sent them to Sarah. They had a few people in the way of the shot, but you could still make out Nicholas on the screen in all of them. Several seconds later, as she returned to the corner away from the noisy crowd of people engaged in conversation concerning the mysterious matter, her phone buzzed in her hand. Knowing it was Sarah, she answered immediately.

" _My God. . .you're right, Pai." Sarah said as her baby blue eyes widened in pure amazement and shock. "I just can't get over the fact that the real Nick is somehow alive and walking again as we speak. . .this is crazy._ " It appeared as though she'd recognized that same. . . _lost_ look in the Tsar's eyes as that news crew overexcitedly shoved cameras at him.

"It's probably one of the most confusing things I've ever heard of. Why do you think that he chose to reappear here in Hong Kong, though? I would imagine that if he were dead for so long, he'd be first sighted in Russia, given the fact that that's where he used to rule before he was killed."

" _No idea, but I think the real question here is how something like this could happen. I mean, dead people just popping back up on the streets? That's unnatural. The body should have decomposed for sure after all these years. . ._ " Sarah trailed off. She sounded like she hadn't the slightest damn clue as to how the supposedly deceased emperor could be alive at this moment. And Pai didn't blame her. Maybe there were supernatural elements at play here. . .who knew? Pai could sense that the college student was still a bit bothered by this news, so she decided to give her some more time to process it all.

"I'm sorry to dump all of this on you. I guess I just needed someone to talk to about all of this." She earnestly apologized as she shifted her weight onto her right leg.

" _Pai, don't apologize. I'm fine, really."_ The 25-year old assured with that confident smile in her voice that she always had, though Pai could hear a cryptic quality to it. _"I just wasn't expecting to hear something like this, is all. I'm actually interested to get to the bottom of how he could've just. . .reappeared. I've got some stuff to do before I hit class, but we can talk later. Promise. See ya_." Sarah bade.

"Bye, Sarah." Pai answered back with a relieved smile. And with that, the two young women hung up, leaving Pai to finally change into her everyday clothes, and leave the studio, bearing in mind the conversation she and her friend just had. As she got into her red, convertible Ferrari F50 and drove off into the night, the shocking news broadcast attached itself to her long-term memory. It then replayed itself over and over in her mind, like a deep and meaningful song stuck on repeat. Pai narrowed her eyes in determination. She would sort this out. At that moment, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety, with a sixth sense whispering that danger was up ahead.

* * *

Suddenly, in her headlights, she caught view of four men standing dead in the middle of the road. The human barricade they'd created stretched across both lanes, so Pai couldn't have driven around them if she wanted to. She brought the car to a stop. Examining the men, having gotten closer, she frowned. They were garbed in matching outfits—namely pitch black sleeveless gis. Anyone would've acknowledged the signs and immediately jumped on guard, and Pai was no exception.

She stepped out of the vehicle, and walked at an even, unrushed pace to meet the men, who were coincidentally walking to meet _her_. The mere fact that they took some initiative confirmed her suspicions. The men were bad news. She knew these men were with Judgment 6.

 _J6 must've set their sights on me_. Pai thought, readying herself for battle as she stopped several feet in front of the impeding group of presumed J6 thugs.

"Pai Chan, you must come with us. Do as we say and don't attempt to resist us." One grunt demanded. His tone was all business, and it was clear that he and his associates weren't taking 'no' for an answer. Still, that didn't mean Pai was going to even consider backing down. _No_.

"And why would I do that?" She retorted defiantly, a frown etched onto her youthful face. The spectacle on the news was pushed to the back of her mind for the time being. _THIS_ took priority.

He growled. "You _WILL_ come with us!" And with that, the men rushed her. She sprinted fourth as well, leaping as she threw a graceful, yet extremely powerful midair kick. It nailed one of the men in the face and he was sent sprawling onto the unforgiving concrete, knocking him out. Unfortunately, a heel smashed into her temple upon her landing, sending her stumbling. A fist to her cheek followed. As did another foot to her gut.

With a mighty battle cry, Pai stopped the next fist that sailed toward her face, and threw him over her shoulder. She spun to face the next fighter, just in time to turn aside his punches and return with her own. He went down.

 _Only one left._ She thought, gnashing her teeth as adrenaline continued to pump through her veins. She advanced onto the last remaining one, but he was faster than expected, and thrust his palm into her gut. The pain was unimaginable, but she didn't dare flinch. Ignoring the urge to nurse her toned stomach, she grabbed him and knocked him out with a spinning kick to the back of the head.

" _Damn_." Pai rasped, trying to catch her breath between pained coughs. She'd won, and it was a short fight, but a tough one. The right side of her face, her ribs, stomach and jawbone were all killing her. These were no ordinary fighters indeed. These men were trained warriors. She'd have to kick her training routines into overdrive now if this is what J6's newest endeavors for gathering fighters were. She suddenly noticed the weak groans of one of them. She marched over to him and knelt down next to him.

"When you wake up, you can tell J6 that they'll _never_ get their hands on me. Or Sarah for that matter." She intoned. The man gave a short, dry laugh.

" _We're not with J6. . ._ "

Pai blinked, letting that quickly sink in. The young movie star certainly hadn't been expecting _that._ She refocused her attention toward the half-conscious mystery grunt lying before her. She needed answers.

"If they didn't send you after me, then what's your affiliation?" She interrogated. The underling squeezed his eyes shut, probably in attempt to stay conscious, before giving his reply in his last breath.

" _We are the Koenkan._ "

With that, her attacker fell unconscious, no longer a threat. Yet Pai remained frozen in a kneeling position. _Koenkan_. . .undoubtedly the name of an evil fighting force. A Chinese one at that.

So there was a new sinister organization around. First Judgement 6, with their sending of assassins into their World Fighting Tournaments and stealing combat data for their Dural Project, and now this _Koenkan_ , who apparently had their eyes on her. Why exactly? What did this new organization want with Pai? Were they following J6's example and trying to create the perfect 'super-soldier' using her as a base? Or was it something deeper? And why did she get a particularly nasty feeling whenever she recited their name? Truthfully, she'd already been frazzled enough about the bizarre Tsar Nicholas II sighting, and now she had the Koenkan to worry and wonder about.

She finally found it within herself to rise to her full height, and make her way back to her Italian supercar. It's motor was still idly running, but it was only due to the intensity of being spotted by the Koenkan fighters that she'd forgotten to shut it off. Grateful that the car hadn't gotten damaged during the actual fight, she climbed in, and pulled off down the road. The opposing warriors had fortunately all landed on the sidewalk area, meaning she was able to continue straight home without having to detour. Now doing about 35 down various streets, Pai made a slight change in her resolution. She would sort out the Nicholas II _and_ Koenkan incidents. . .all in due time.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hello, everyone. You've just seen the first issue of what I hope will be a long, and enjoyable story. Now, some things written in this chapter may warrant an explanation, and that's what I intend to do.

Fans of the main Virtua Fighter continuity will wonder why the Koenkan is being included at all in a crossover drawing from the game series' canon. For the sake of taking a liberty with this particular crossover, I've decided to very loosely build certain events of the first season of the Virtua Fighter anime around VF's main canon (things from season two won't get featured since there was no English dub). Now since this is building off of what the games have already long pre-established about its universe and characters, I won't be changing personalities to fit the anime versions of any of the characters. Something I personally feel is that the game's character portrayals were superior to the anime's, and that will show here, as I portray the Virtua Fighters and their universe as if it was "Virtua Fighter 6" rather than an episode of the show. For the same reasons, I plan to do the exact same thing with the Eternal Champions-verse—whose comic adaptation universe will be built around its main videogame one for this story. Main universe first and foremost—adaptation elements secondary.

Now onto the companionship of Pai Chan and Sarah Bryant, as shown here. Canonically, there's no relationship between the two of them, so one would fundamentally assume the two of them would have no involvement with each other. For me, that changed upon seeing how they fought side by side in Dead or Alive 5 and its re-releases. Since then, it was my headcanon that they were super good friends based on their tag attacks, and especially their victory and battle-ready formations when paired together in Tag Arcade. As a result, expect Pai and Sarah to be working together somewhat often, and always being closely informed of each other's endeavors when not playing a direct role in assisting those exploits. It's a really great dynamic in my opinion, as these two would both make great friends and combat partners.

The type of BlackBerries that are used by Pai and Sarah in this issue did in fact wind up in their hands due to being two Virtua Fighters. Not only does this help the girls keep in touch somewhat more easily, them being in possession of these phones is pretty realistic in my opinion. I imagine the World Fighting Tournament garnered alot of attention from moguls and companies worldwide, and I didn't consider it to be out of place for its participants to be rewarded in such a way for their second-to-none combat prowess.

Those are all of the points I wanted to address for this installment, and I'll have author's notes at the bottom of every issue that will hopefully serve to give you guys a look into my train of thought while writing what you would have just read. A 'behind the scenes' view, if you will.

Hit that arrow and find out what happens next in Hand in Hand!

 _-Stefan422_


	2. Chapter 2

Issue 02: Coalescence of Worlds - Part 2

 _(The next day)  
_  
 **(Jetta's time: 1899)  
**  
 **"** _ **Ladies and gentlemen, the amazing Jetta Maxx!"**_

Came the ringmaster's dramatic bellow as it sounded all throughout the large and dim lit circus tent. To accompany this, the fanfare played as Jetta stuck out her arms and then put them up in the air upon landing flawlessly. She had just swung from trapeze to trapeze, to the ground 30 feet below during a solo acrobatic performance. The audience roared and clapped, as the spotlight shone upon her. Jetta beamed brightly. She lived for this. She loved entertaining crowds with her acrobatic talent, it gave her such a rush of excitement whenever she pulled off death-defying stunts that would seem impossible to the everyday individual. It gave her a sense of fulfillment that she'd been longing for ever since she was but a youth. With a final theatric bow, the spotlight vanished, making the tent go dark once again. Jetta ran off the performing area and onto the area where many other members of the Blue Dragon Circus were waiting.

Soon after the performance ended, the circus troupe was on the move once again, looking for a place to rest for the evening within the city of Hong Kong before moving to the next show. The standard members of the Blue Dragon Circus walked down the empty street in an untidy line of sorts, while Jetta Maxx, star of the show, and her cousin, Tsar Nicholas II, walked close behind them.

"That was a most spectacular performance on the trapeze, Jetta." The emperor praised his talented cousin with an earnest smile.

Jetta blushed and giggled. "Thank you. I suppose I was merely empowered by the thought of the impact that I hope my actions will create."

" _Hope_? Do not be ridiculous. If anyone can convince the Yihe Quang to change their ways for the better, it is you."

Jetta smiled radiantly. Nicholas was always so supportive of her. He believed Jetta was close to achieving her goal of bringing peace upon China. So much so that he even left his brother in charge of his country while he was away accompanying Jetta on this particular circus travel and to see her perform for the Grand Emperor of China. Nicholas may have loved his mother country, but he loved his family just as much. He wanted be there when Jetta finally ended the fighting in China.

It probably would have happened after the performance dedicated to the Grand Emperor. That specific performance was originally supposed to feature Jetta walking across a tightrope set at a staggering height. But as she now knew, thanks to Eternal, the rope and net had both been sabotaged by none other than the Yihe Quang. The lone saboteur was caught and brought to justice, but that still left the entire rest of the Yihe Quang to plague China. Even with the Chinese government attempting to coerce them out of their homicidal actions, the terrorist group would not be deterred, deciding to push back against their government and resume their actions in spite of their now emphasized illegality. The assailant's defiant yells of such promises were never to escape Jetta's memory as he was removed from the tent by the guards. It was what forced Jetta to remain in China, after her last show, which had been given an impromptu change from a tightrope walk to a trapeze routine. She was satisfied with it, yet still not the act that she had hoped to perform for the Grand Emperor.

As they walked on, the sun began to set, bestowing golden orange rays upon the traveling troupe, who all took notice of the beautifully coloured sky. After clearing his throat, Nicholas spoke to the ribbon clad acrobat once again.

"Jetta, have you noticed anything particularly. . .strange about this city lately?"

Jetta placed a hand on her hip in thought. "Actually yes, I have. I have been seeing many billboards of this woman named. . .named. . .", she trailed off, suddenly forgetting the person who'd she had been seeing pictures of. With a frustrated huff, she massaged her temples, trying to remember, to no avail.

"I cannot remember her name. But what strange things have you been seeing, Nicholas?"

"Just yesterday while you all were sleeping, I decided to go for a walk around Hong Kong. However, the whole area seemed to have. . . _transformed_."

Jetta raised her eyebrows in slight confusion at his words. "Transformed? How so?"

"There were many peculiar looking structures that surrounded the area appearing to be shops, although they were adorned with flashing words and pictures."

He paused briefly. This gave the blonde Russian a chance to slip into thought once again as she slowly nodded and pursed her full, painted lips. In Jetta's time something like this was downright unheard of. Things just didn't simply change. Shops never had flashing words and pictures.

"Do continue, my cousin. What other mysterious changes has this city undergone as of late?" Jetta asked, eager to know more of Nicholas' findings last night.

Nicholas folded his arms behind his back and nodded as he resumed his story.

"The perhaps most shocking and disorienting experience of the night was when I was swarmed by people after someone exclaimed that I was in here in Hong Kong. But these people that surrounded me had these odd looking devices that they practically shoved in my face. Some of them flashed brightly. The people who held them assaulted me with questions - asking how I came back to life as if I had been deceased for a number of years. They made absolutely no sense whatsoever! It was quite overwhelming to be quite honest. Luckily, I was able to successfully flee and return to the resting area where the rest of you were."

Jetta furrowed her eyebrows again, this time in deep suspicion. Something was definitely afoot here. People knew who her cousin was, and they knew that he was very much alive. Why wouldn't he brand the people who had surrounded him last night to be downright insane? And they probably were. From what she was hearing at least.

"I do wonder why they were acting as if you were a reanimated body from the dead..." Jetta's words froze as the troupe stopped to admire a billboard advertising a movie that Pai was starring in. Alongside the film's stylized title, Pai was shown sporting her movie outfit while assuming a low Mizongquan stance, smiling with unalloyed confidence. Jetta's eyes widened as she instantly recognized her from the other billboards she'd seen of her.

"It is her! She is the one that I have been seeing these pictures of left and right!" The blonde exclaimed, pointing at the billboard before rubbing her chin as she 'hmmed' while she read aloud who the film had been starring. " _Pai Chan_."

"And you have been seeing an unusual amount of depictions of this woman as of late?" Nicholas questioned, his eyes meeting the shining blue ones of his cousin.

"Yes," Jetta confirmed with a brisk nod. "Since the previous night; when you said you encountered those demanding an explanation for you being alive."

The Tsar lapsed into a brief period of contemplation at this, albeit keeping it short enough as not to seem rude. If Jetta's tellings about both the Dark Champion and the very nature of his powers were to be believed—and they were, as Jetta would have never lied about something of this nature—this and the mysterious Pai Chan were both definitely something bigger.

"It is apparent that she is more than a simple film star if this city exalts her to such an extent." Nicholas commented, eyeing Pai's billboard. "What that could be, however, is something I cannot begin to surmise."

Jetta began to suspiciously leer at it. Despite having arrived at the conclusion that Pai probably wasn't affiliated with the Yihe Quang due to her amicable portrayal on the billboard, the blonde acrobat was getting negative vibes from the thought of her. Was she behind all of these mysterious changes? It wouldn't surprise Jetta if she was. She had seen beings that held such power with her own eyes, and they weren't to be taken lightly at all. It would certainly explain why this city was placing her on such a high pedestal. Even the greatest performers of this time—such as the Blue Dragon Circus itself—didn't get near as much praise as Pai was getting as an individual. Taking in consideration the two were in extremely similar lines of work, it could have very well been that the city felt the need to give extra attention to someone who held this kind of power.

Jetta wasn't sure if the Chinese film star was quite the one to blame for the recent happenings that Nicholas had informed her of, but she knew that such changes could cause problems. Big ones. An investigation was in order. Amazingly, the troupe seemed not to notice the conversation between the two cousins—they must've been too busy admiring the billboard. However, it soon started to darken out, and everyone continued walking again. With the sky now a beautiful magenta colour, the two followed as they continued to converse.

"Jetta, there is now another potential issue to attend to. The Yihe Quang need to be dealt with as soon as possible. If my brother involves Russia with the fighting, it's government will begin to weaken and eventually crumble. Additionally, these irregular events that are occurring need to be either justified by the one who is responsible for them, or ceased entirely. I fear that these happenings may occurring in other parts of the world as well. Such changes could easily be detrimental to Russia. We have no knowledge what they could possibly mean." Nicholas mentioned with concern for his country. With an understanding nod and furrowed eyebrows, the blonde Russian gave her reply.

"I acknowledge this, and resolve to settle both situations. China will soon be free of violent acts by the Yihe Quang. I feel as though I am nearing completion in my goal for ending this gruesome bloodshed. I promise you, I will end the violence—not even whatever new changes that may have occurred that are to prevent me from doing so will discourage me. The same applies for Pai Chan. Should she have any issues concerning my actions, I will defend my beliefs. Even if it means coming to blows with her."

As she talked, a slight, warm gust blew, sending her long hair dancing in the breeze. She looked like the mighty figure she was. It was as if the sudden wind accentuated her desire to settle things in the East.

"Always the rebel." Nicholas said with a chuckle as he folded his arms, knowing that there was little anyone could do to stop Jetta when it came to stepping in whenever something big like this happened. And he wasn't about to try, either. "I am proud of you, Jetta."

The acrobat gave a shy-sounding laugh, which honestly would have fit Nicholas much more than her, and gave a smile that practically lit up the now dark streets as she made eye contact, which, unlike the titter she just gave, fit her personality like a glove.

"Thank you, Nicholas. It means so much to me that you have faith."

"Of course! I will always have faith in you."

Jetta's lips once again curled into a smile of gratitude...before parting widely to allow her to yawn loudly in exhaustion. Her day had been long and full, and flipping tons of feet in the air from trapezes could really take a lot out of someone.

"I think I heard one of the troupe members mention arriving at a place to sleep for the night sometime soon." Nicholas said with a little laugh, starting to feel somewhat tired himself.

" _Ahh. Sleep_. . .something all of us would benefit from after tonight." Jetta mused with a weary grin as they continued to walk. Tomorrow would be another day. A day where she would personally investigate the unusual changes happening around the area. She needed to know for the sake of her country, and for her own personal satisfaction. For some reason however, she got a feeling in the pit of her stomach that there would be more to this whole thing that met the eye.

* * *

In walking a bit further down the path, the collective group of traveling Russians happened across yet another billboard of the city's idol—Pai Chan. The billboard in question was identical to the ones Jetta had pointed out earlier, and the troupe was not surprised, if almost seemingly humoured at seeing Pai's face yet again.

"Is it possible to go five roads at minimum without encountering this woman's printed visage?" One member sourly jested, giving an unseen roll of his eyes.

"She is very popular," Another noted, a touch of rivalrousness colouring the words. "It would seem the Blue Dragon Circus has competition in its midst."

"Perhaps it comes as a result of being a _wondrously_ rebellious spirit, such as our star," A third member suggested, glancing back at Jetta with an admiring, though kind smirk. Jetta blushed bright pink and giggled, with Nicholas only giving off a small smirk at hearing this. It was a surprisingly calm and unperturbed reaction to someone so openly savoring the beauty of his dear cousin, but then again, equanimity was an inherent personality trait the Tsar simply held.

"No, no," Jetta insisted with an appreciative chuckle, waving a hand. Her next words became a bit more serious. "Nicholas and I have reason to believe that Pai Chan is being venerated so fiercely by the citizens of Hong Kong due to _her_ being a possible wielder of sufficient power to cause these peculiar changes."

"Y-you believe that _she_ is the cause of these alterations?" A member of the troupe asked uneasily, eyeing a row of fluorescent lights that served to illuminate a store in the darkening night.

The troupe considered Jetta's theory, recalling their star's recountal of the Dark Champion's actions. The evil entity's particular method of distorting reality wasn't quite the same as what they were experiencing now, but close enough to be of discomfort.

"Yes, that is what I believe, and what I plan to investigate this in the very near future. Preferably, I will receive my answers from the suspect herself." Jetta stated bravely and resolutely.

"If this is what you will do, then I would advise you to remain extremely vigilant, Jetta," Another troupe member finally spoke up, being sure to stress his point. "Very recently have I heard whispers of the reprehensible natures of those that Miss Chan chooses to be seen alongside."

Jetta had _just_ supposed she had put her Pai-related ponderings to rest for the night, but these words from her fellow performer had immediately awoken the subject. Brought it back to the forefront of her mind.

"Do tell," Jetta pressed, bright blue eyes shining with a desire to be enlightened, her opinion on Pai not particularly increasing with this slither of information. "What is being spoken about the acquaintances of our possible culprit?"

"According to hearsay, the Chan woman regularly attends a tournament of martial arts. . .one that supposedly normalizes the inclusion of large, furious men who aim to slaughter sharks in their spare time, ruthless individuals willing to murder sickly, elderly and helpless men, those hunted by authoritative factions for knowledge of some manner of forbidden knowledge—even including one young man who supposedly has familial involvements with extremism."

Jetta's blood ran cold; her eyes wide and mouth now hanging wide open with shock. The majority of the Blue Dragon Circus felt similarly, with overlapping gasps and murmurs.

Even Nicholas was not exempt from this, though his inexpressive tendencies made his surprise and appellation come off as less overt. A concerned glance over at Jetta told him that his cousin, momentarily spaced-out in thought, had not found her voice yet. Not only would speaking up on her behalf allow her to process this information, but also to satisfy some of his own wonderings.

"And does she form relationships with these miscreants?" The Tsar evenly inquired with a sense of duty. That was what it all came back to, really. At least to someone of his position. He may not have cared for politics, but as the Tsar of Russia, it was a necessity that Nicholas be sure his country was as secure as it could have been, and if Pai _had_ been guilty of the changes, as well as on friendly terms with such people. . .well that would have made Jetta's job all the more important. That could have meant that Pai Chan was as malicious as those just described to him—reshaping the landscape as she saw fit and seemingly without care. As Nicholas saw it, if these changes could reach Hong Kong, they could reach Russia. Any changes with negative potential to his country, by the doing of a malignant woman no less, could set back the progress that he and his predecessors and antecedents had managed to achieve under their incumbency.

Disinterested in ruling as he might have been, Nicholas could not allow that to happen to his country. His _people._

"I have not the slightest idea as to what these people are to her, Nicholas. I was only able to hear fragments of this discussion," The troupe member replied, before directing his next words solely at Jetta with a grizzled sense of concern. "But know that caution should be taken when confronting a frequent attendee to what is clearly a haven for such _callousness_."

Jetta managed a stiff nod, brows knitted together. Her suspect wasn't seeming any more sympathetic in the slightest with this information. She couldn't quite brand Pai a guilty woman _just_ yet, but the blonde still found herself mentally preparing herself for the worst. A fight with the 'film star', if that was even all she really was—besides the goer of incredibly dubious sounding martial arts competitions. Jetta strove to be a pacifist wherever she could have been, and considered herself an optimist. She would try to nonviolently discuss things with Pai when the two crossed paths—and they _would_. That was something the young visionary Russian knew for sure of.

"I am aware of the dangers, and the consequences that may come with them," Jetta's response nearly came out as a drone. The words were spoken seriously and without the spirit or vigor the acrobat usually exhibited. Her words now somewhat hushed, though holding sober undertones as she stared at the back of the head of the troupe member who'd just been so vocal in his concern. He'd glanced back with a nod of assent.

Nicholas laid a much needed hand of consolation on Jetta's shoulder, to which the lead acrobat reciprocated with a small, yet grateful smile. She _wanted_ to believe that Pai was innocent, that she wouldn't have more conflict to dispel along with the Yihe Quang's zealotry. But the more she learned about Pai—even _thought_ about Pai and what may have been her actions, it seemed, the more she felt that she had another burden to resolve.

Despite her many suspicions, Jetta was a fair woman. If the alleged actress denied having an active role in the recent changes, to the city, Jetta would allow her a chance to explain herself. If things simply weren't that simple and easy with this woman. . .

Jetta blew out a tired breath of air, too mentally and physically exhausted from the day to even entertain the notion that she may have had to defend herself against Pai. She massaged her temples out of sheer habit.

The aforementioned resting place finally came into view—a 1899-styled, _familiar_ hotel. It even presented Jetta with the sight of an inviting, lamp-lit entryway. Much to her own relief, she found it in herself to relax a little and perhaps even remove herself from her issues, if only for the moment. Tomorrow would have been another day indeed—but for now— _rest._

She felt as though she would need it.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** We meet again! But I apologize profusely for spending so much time away from this story. I've been working on other stories, and just generally dealing with life. It's been a bit tough, but I'm getting back into it. I still have some loose ends to tie up concerning chapters on other stories (for the moment that is) but that shouldn't take too long, and I'll definitely be back into this one within a considerably short amount of time.

Now for the issue itself. I really enjoyed writing this issue because of the sheer amount of misconceptions made by Jetta and her troupe concerning Pai's popularity in China. I imagine that in Jetta's time things weren't as advertised as they would have been in the semi-modern era that VF takes place in. Not to mention Jetta's dealt with some pretty powerful beings herself. . .and as we know, power is something that can easily be celebrated. Not only did I take that idea and run like hell with it in this issue, Jetta under her suspicions will also become a mini-arc of its own, which will make things all the more interesting when Pai and Jetta finally meet face to face. Also entertaining to write was the Blue Dragon Circus troupes' misconceptions about Virtua Fighters Jeffry, Lei, Lau, and Lion respectively, as well as the World Fighting Tournament itself. But in their defense, they only managed to pick up bits and pieces of what was being discussed concerning four of the world's greatest fighters.

There is a matter that pertains to Jetta herself, or rather, her lore, that I intend to clear up for the Eternal Champions fans reading this story. It is stated in her story that upon refusing to walk the tightrope and exposing the Yihe Quang radical guilty of rigging it, the organization was entirely disassembled by China's government (in the Genesis game's story, which Jetta's lore draws from), but here, the Yihe Quang do not falter at the government's threats, and remain a scourge to the nation of China. I didn't toy with Jetta's mythos too much, but I still think it was a good writing choice, because in doing so, I can now flesh out Jetta's struggle against them, and actually have her achieve her goal in a different way. Letting her succeed unassisted by the government would be allowing Jetta a different path to victory, in my opinion.

Onto Tsar Nicholas II (birthname: Nikolay Alexandrovich Romanov). This is a historical figure that I seriously enjoyed incorporating into this story rather than simply exclude. He really is Jetta's cousin in Eternal Champions canon, and given that Jetta shares some of the same ideals as Nicholas historically did, I figured they'd be pretty close cousins too. One thing that I kind of altered was his level of involvement. In this story, Nicholas' appearance is what kicks off the plot, and is ( _and_ will be) featured as a supporting character to Jetta. In actual EC canon he's given nothing more than a brief mention of being her cousin. I see my choice of involving him more with the story as another way of taking liberties. I'm going to be careful to not give him too big a role in the events that transpire as not to stray too far off the "beaten path", but you'll still get to occasionally see his internal and external thoughts on the various situations and how those around him choose to rectify them, as in this chapter.

Speaking of involving characters, I am introducing another character that will be depicted as a close associate of Jetta's as of the next chapter. That character would be none other than the cyborg R.A.X Coswell. They're my 2 of my favorite EC characters and ever since discovering and playing the game, I'd always headcanoned them to be really close friends during the Contest. That of which, in this story, was abruptly halted midway so that the Eternal Champions universe could fully merge with the VF-verse, completely including and mixing EC's varying time periods in which its fighters hail from. For some background, the Eternal Champions characters all had returned to their respective lives in this story (and abstaining from the life choices that would have lead to their deaths), which is why Jetta was back on the trapeze, casually performing in this issue.

The Yihe Quang, or Boxer Rebellion, as its also historically called, will also be rearing its head in the very near future and causing trouble for the non-Chinese citizens of Hong Kong. They're in Jetta's lore as a faction she aims to dismantle through peacefully preaching, but things aren't always that easy. Jetta and R.A.X will have a fight with them on their hands, but not before a few very stealthily executed civilian murders carried out by the Yihe Quang themselves. A dark reminder that merging universes together can bring more evil before Pai and her friends.

On a lighter note, I'm happy to announce that this fic will feature more ships beyond the eventual pairing of Pai/Jetta. There will be some Jacky/Vanessa in the semi-near future, mainly because Jacky's cockiness seems great when juxtaposed with Vanessa's military roughness. I feel as though they'd be a couple constantly trying to outdo one another with the little mundane things, yet still knowing that they're lovers first and foremost, and thus making their little competitions all the more sweet and adorable. Also showing up in the semi-near future would be Sarah/Kage. Not only would it be a cool nod to the anime, but it makes a lot of sense being a pairing between a former assassin and a ninja. Much later would Aoi/Brad come to fruition, mainly because they just aren't going to be featured anytime soon. They would even need to work out their differences before that, so that's another thing that will ensure that it doesn't happen too quickly. Sadly, I don't have any more news as to what other ships are planned to be featured in this story, but rest assured, there will be more, of characters possibly not expected, even.

Adding to the information above would be my decision to have Pai and Sarah eventually enter what is called a "quasiplatonic relationship". For those who are unaware, this kind of relationship is a strictly non-romantic, non-sexual relationship consisting of friends. However, it's one that requires a sense of commitment not unlike romantic relationships, and the connection between the parties involved must run deeper than normal friendship, no matter how close. It doesn't mean you can't also have other friends—it's merely the middle ground between being someone's friend and being their lover, while not being a friends with benefits arrangement, either. I originally wanted Pai and Sarah to have a traditional friendship in this story, but then I got thinking, and reasoned that the events of this story had strong potential to bring them closer. And that's something that would have in turn caused Pai to realize that it wouldn't have been just her world that will have changed, but her relationships as well. That said, I'm giving their relationship ample time to develop from the best friends I've established them to be, before veering off into more intimate territory. This technically isn't a ship, nor is it to marginalize the actual ships of Pai/Jetta or Sarah/Kage; this is merely Pai and Sarah taking their friendship to another level.

So once I take care of some things regarding another story of mine, I'll be right back to this one. Next issue opens with J6-related trouble for our resident Californians, Sarah, Jacky, and Vanessa, and on their home turf, no less. Until then, Farewell, readers!

 _-Stefan422_


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